%% Image restored to page per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1386717689027692000%% Caption changed per IP thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900%% Please do not replace or remove either without starting a new thread.%%[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/everythings-worse-with-wolves_batb4_3216.jpg]]]][-[[caption-width-right:350:As if being lost in a spooky forest wasn't bad enough...]]-]

As alpha predators and clever pack hunters, wolves have often been feared and hated by humans. They frequently preyed on human livestock and, in Europe, humans themselves to the extent that serious efforts were made to wipe them out of the region. This reputation bled over into fiction where wolves were portrayed as nasty, savage and rapacious predators seemingly bent on devouring everyone they could. Give them some intelligence and they'll be cruel, nasty and sadistic.

Because wolves are pack hunters, this makes them even more dangerous. One wolf is easily capable of killing an unarmed human, but bring out a dozen or so and suddenly they can devour anything in their path, especially the ill or weak humans we want to protect most like women, children and the elderly.

Note that while this trope usually comes in the form of a pack of wolves, it can equally apply to a lone one. Bonus points if it's [[ConservationOfNinjitsu much more dangerous]] and [[SuperPersistentPredator persistent]] than a single wolf has any right to be.

Compare and contrast NobleWolf, which features wolves as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin noble]], proud, reasonable or even outright heroic. When the two tropes intersect, they will still be very dangerous and not to be underestimated or disrespected.

See also TheBigBadWolf and {{Hellhound}}. Compare animals that share similar reputations, such as {{bears|AreBadNews}} and [[ThreateningShark sharks]].

----!!Examples

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]* ''Manga/OnePiece'':** Subverted when the crew was in Upper Yard. The wolves appear menacing at first, but after their leader is impressed by Nami's ferocity, they join the campfire.** Played straight when the crew invades [[TheAlcatraz Impel Down]]. There are wolves guarding the fifth floor and they were moved from Level 2 so they wouldn't kill all the other beasts there!* ''Manga/GingaNagareboshiGin'': Some of the wolves are bad but it's averted with those who help Gin and his pack go to the Underworld to save Cross and her puppies.* In ''Anime/TheTibetanDog'', a pack of wolves attack the sheep Tenzing is herding, but they're driven away by BigDamnHeroes Tibetan Mastiffs.* In ''Literature/ArashiNoYoruNi'', Gabu and his wolf pack start out as this. Gabu eventually [[HeelFaceTurn changes when he meets and befriends Mei]], but his pack doesn't.* One episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' portrays a pack of Houndour like this. However, it becomes Subverted when it's revealed [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes why]].* The Wolf in ''Anime/RingingBell''. Ruthless and vicious, he kills whatever he can sink his fangs into -- including Chirin's mother. [[spoiler:Subverted because Chirin soon grew fond of the Wolf, seeing him as a father. In fact, near the end, after killing Wolf, he soon felt sad and realized that revenge wasn't satisfying.]]* ''Manga/InuYasha'':** In an early storyline, the normally friendly wolf {{youkai}} Royakan is unwillingly transformed into a monstrous, berserk beast that can vomit up packs of equally vicious normal-sized wolves. ** A later storyline introduces a whole tribe of wolf youkai, infamous for eating humans and destroying entire human villages in the process. Led by the humanoid wolf youkai Kouga, these wolves destroy three human villages (including Rin's, killing everyone there including Rin herself) before encountering Inuyasha's group. By the end of this first encounter, however, Kouga becomes enamored enough of Kagome that he forbids his tribe from attacking humans and they become [[NobleWolf Noble Wolves]] instead.* ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'', Hatsune doesn't have to transform to be feral.* The Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} has one in the form of the white wolf, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Primate Murder]]. Though it's never directly appeared in any of the franchise's main works, the [[GaiasVengeance beast]] is easily one of, if not ''the'', most dangerous creatures in the setting thanks to its signature ability: [[KillAllHumans The absolute authority to decide whether a human lives or dies.]] Ranked as #1 of the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors]], the only thing keeping Primate Murder from enacting a mass genocide is the fact that [[VampireMonarch Altrouge Brunestud]] has somehow bent it to her will.* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' is the quintessential anime for the NobleWolf trope, but even it has a few savage wolves, most notably [[spoiler:Darcia.]]* The first animation series of ''Literature/VickyTheViking'' made by Nippon featured big scraggly wolves which'd often end up chasing Vicky who's [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes deathly afraid of them]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* The wolf shown in the beginning of the film/comic ''Comicbook/ThreeHundred'' is depicted as demonic and threatening.* Kyle Abbot from ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' and ''Comicbook/{{Batwoman}}''. A werewolf shape-shifter who worships crime. He becomes disillusioned by his peer's interpretation, and breaks off into his own sect, the true believers. He's an occasional ally of Batwoman.* A ''Comicbook/DraculaLives'' story featuring Literature/SolomonKane has Dracula saving the man from a pack of wolves before inviting him to his castle.* ''ComicBook/IdeesNoires'': One gag [[spoiler:has a man lost in the snow wandering around thinking he is doomed. Then he sees lights in the distance and thinks it's a city, but it turns out to be the GlowingEyesOfDoom of a group of wolves.]]* Fenris from the ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' comics manages to take revenge for his fellow mythologies by stomping into a story arc almost entirely populated by Judeo-Christian characters and instantly becoming one of the most threatening antagonists. When one challenges him for this he points out that before humanity cowered before demons they feared the wolves beneath the trees, proceeding to become the BigBad through raw badassery.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* In ''Fanfic/AngelasPetMonster'', a ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' fanfiction, there’s Sylvia Schneider, a wolf-like monster with [[VertebrateWithExtraLimbs four legs, two retractable arms, and wings]] who acts as TheDragon to [[BigBad Waternoose]]. Did we mention she's an AxCrazy {{Yandere}}? Oh, and she can camouflage, just like her ex-boyfriend, Randall. [[ParanoiaFuel Sweet dreams!]]* In ''[[FanFic/BrutalSeries Brutal]]'', a pack of wolf muttations [[spoiler: chases Switz and Liet and kills Thew.]]* ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'' has as minor antagonists a pack of thirty-five AxCrazy wolves (fittingly called the Mad Pack) that have terrorized [[Disney/TheBlackCauldron Prydain's]] animals and humans for twenty years. They suffer from an incurable disease similar to rabies that has robbed them of all reason and natural instincts. They live only for killing, attacking on sight ''anything'' that moves. They're so crazed that they dare to fight ''[[VillainProtagonist the Horned King]]'' who strikes [[WalkingWasteland fear in all living creatures]]. Fortunately, [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork he kills them all]] when they're about to kill [[MoralityPet Avalina]] and [[CoolHorse Mitternacht]] in a scene similar to the infamous one in Disney's ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast''.* ''FanFic/TotalAlternateIsland'': A grown wolf attacks some of the campers due to Wolfo being with them. It wasn't Wolfo's parent, though…[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]* ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'': The wolves are a danger to Belle and her father and even manage to injure the Beast.* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'': [[BigBad Lord Shen's]] henchmen are wolves.* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'', when [[TheFairFolk Aisling]] sics her wolves on Brendan as he's traveling through the forest in search of oak galls. Later inverted when [[spoiler:Aisling sics them on the Vikings that are about to kill Brendan and Aidan in a BigDamnHeroes moment.]]* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' has one sequence where Anna and Kristoff's sled is ambushed by a pack of hungry wolves that chase after them. They only escape by flying over a chasm (although Kristoff's sled gets destroyed).[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]* ''Film/WhiteFang'' - For a Disney film, the scenes where the characters are being hunted by a pack of wolves in the opening 20 minutes or so is almost downright terrifying.* In ''Film/NeverCryWolf'', another Disney film, Tyler is at first afraid of the wolves and has a nightmare about being chased by them. Subverted when he actually meets the wolves, and they're nothing like that.* A pack of mystic wolves are the main antagonists in ''Film/{{Wolfen}}''.* ''Film/TheGrey'': Remembered as Creator/LiamNeeson vs. a pack of wolves. The survivors of a plane crash in Alaska not only have to survive the elements, but survive the pack of wolves that is chasing them down.* ''Film/LookWhosTalking Now'' featured a group of wolves during the final act of the film.* The name of the eponymous protagonist of ''Film/LoneWolfMcQuade'' is clearly supposed to invoke this.* In the third ''Film/{{Riddick}}'' movie, a wounded Riddick wakes up after being left for dead on a barren planet by the Necromongers. He is quickly sighted by a pack of alien wolf/dog creatures who pursue him. Subverted later on when he discovers a lone pup, whom he eventually raises to become a loyal companion.%%* A theme in ''Film/TheCompanyOfWolves'' too.* As the cast of ''Film/DayOfTheAnimals'' sleeps peacefully after their first day of backpacking, a lone wolf suddenly attacks Mandy and scars her face badly. This forces her and her husband Frank to split up from the others to get to the local forest ranger point.* ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'' features a pack of wolves that just escaped after the meteorogical disaster and menace some the main characters as they explore a snowy New York City.* ''Film/SnowWhiteATaleOfTerror''. They even have glowing yellow eyes, and eat at least one human.* ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'': The main antagonist, Lockdown, keeps a pack of alien wolves (aka Steeljaws) on his ship and sets them loose on the human protagonists at one point.* ''Film/MarketaLazarova'' features a pack of wolves throughout the film (supposedly to represent the viciousness of the elements) and in one scene [[spoiler:the Captain]] barely makes it back alive after being pursued by them.* The baby-sacrificing druid priestess in ''The Guardian'' (1990) has a pack of wolves at her beck and call, which she mostly uses to get rid of people.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Inverted at first in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'' then played straight after the wolf who's keeping them in line dies and they revert to their natural instincts, which include killing any werewolves they come across, ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent even Angua]]). She doesn't begrudge their hostility though, she knows and accepts that they have some pretty good reasons to hate werewolves.%%* Implied in ''Literature/{{Halvgudene}}''* Creator/JRRTolkien liked this one. Packs of intelligent wolves (called Wargs) threaten the main characters of both ''Literature/TheHobbit'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. However, Tolkien does make a distinction between regular, rarely dangerous wolves, and the decidedly more monstrous Wargs, who always directly serve the bad guys in his legendarium.** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' the father of werewolves Draugluin (Sindarin for "Blue Wolf") appears, as does their most terrible offspring Carcharoth. Sauron briefly takes the form of a werewolf to fight the wolfhound Huan.* In a story by ''Saki'', [[spoiler:two men, the heads of feuding houses, are badly injured and trapped in the woods. No sooner do they decide to put their differences aside do they hear a rustling in the bushes. One man can see their presumed rescuers coming. When the second man asks if they are his men or the other man's men,]] the first man answers with one word. ''"Wolves."''* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': While he's watching the Alphas in action Harry notes that, in this age of guns and helicopters, humans have forgotten why we used to be afraid of wolves, and that there are several ''very good'' reasons.* ''Literature/TheWolvesOfWilloughbyChase'': Im an alternate England where packs of wolves roam the 19th century Yorkshire countryside, the young heroine is almost killed when one such pack ''attacks a train''. She's only saved when the man sharing her carriage stabs the wolf that's got in with them to death.* The Witch of the West in ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' has many beasts besides just flying monkeys at her beck and call. In her first attempt to thwart Dorothy and her friends, she sends a great pack of wolves to kill them.* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', most wolves are considered SavageWolves, but the direwolves adopted by the Stark children vary according to the personality of their owner and how well they're trained. Among the most savage are:** Shaggydog, Rickon's direwolf. He is untrained and is as feral as his owner. He is known to attack unprovoked, and bites Maester Luwin and pounces on Big and Little Walder when they hit Rickon during a game.** Nymeria, Arya's direwolf. She was originally well-trained, but since [[ShooTheDog being driven off]] early in the first book, she has gone feral and now leads a huge pack (numbering in the hundreds) of ordinary wolves which threaten both livestock and man throughout the Riverlands.** There's also Grey Wind, who belongs to Robb. While not wild or uncontrollable, he rides beside Robb into battle. He quickly becomes TheDreaded, with people talking about a huge wolf tearing men and horses apart. Stories even develop that Robb can turn into a wolf and leads an army of wolves.* In ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', most wolves are evil. [[BigBad The White Witch]] has a pack of wolves that serve as her secret police. The pack's Alpha, named Maugrim, even acts as her [[TheDragon second-in-command]]. It's sequel ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'' has a werewolf that is downright demonic.* In Bryan Miranda's ''Literature/TheJourneyToAtlantis'',** The boys go hunting for food, and run into a wolf. You'd think it would easy for four of them to take down one single wolf, but it's not. They are helpless until the dog, Maxie Jr., shows up to distract the wolf, at which point they gain the upper hand and kill it. Later on, when they need wolf pelts to survive the snow, they go looking specifically for more wolves, and find a whole family in a cave. Although three of them plan to take on the entire cave (which would have been suicide), some {{Divine Intervention}} from Sol comes in the form of a lightning bolt that kills most of the wolves, leaving only three for the humans to fight.** The antagonist, Loki, also takes the form of a crimson-colored wolf. He is not seen with any other wolves, but attacks Mickello directly once every year in an attempt to kill him or injure him. * A theme in Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" (filmed as ''Film/TheCompanyOfWolves'').* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''His Last Command'', Gaunt remembers how Colm Corbec would tell stories of wolves circling "the stranded, the unlucky, the lost" to bring them down; his current situation, being stalked by an unseen Chaos creature, reminds him.* In the ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novels, the Space Wolves Legion is noted as being especially savage and destructive on the battlefield, to the extent where even other Legions consider them to be TheDreaded.* ''Literature/AesopsFables''** In "The Boys Who Cried Wolf", wolves are depicted as a major threat to shepherds flocks.** In "The Wolf and the Lamb" the titular wolf invents false accusations against the titular lamb in order to justify eating him.* In Creator/JohnMilton's ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', Satan's approach to Eden is like this.-->''As when a prowling Wolfe,\\ Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,\\ Watching where Shepherds pen thir Flocks at eeve\\ In hurdl'd Cotes amid the field secure,\\ Leaps o're the fence with ease into the Fould:''* In ''Literature/WhiteFang'', wolves are presented as harsh and savage, but the hero, being part dog, eventually rises above his instincts to become "tamed"... after being forced into dog-fighting along the way, although "fight" is not accurate - "execution" comes closer. It got to the point where they had to tie him up for the start of the fight, otherwise he'd kill the other dog before it had finished its preliminary snarl-and-threaten routine. Once the dog had finished its routine, it would almost certainly not be any more merciful.* ''Literature/AWolfInTheSoul'' contains extensive descriptions of wolves on the hunt. Greg vs. geese is one somewhat graphic example; another is Greg's wolf's pack vs. its father's pack.* The eponymous villain in ''Literature/{{Brokenclaw}}'' keeps caged wolves at his mansion so that he can feed people who have disappointed him to them.* In Willa Cather's ''Literature/MyAntonia'', a couple of Russian immigrants narrate an incident from the old country, where a bridal party driving sledges at midnight in winter was attacked by a large pack of ravenous wolves, with [[NightmareFuel extremely horrific results]].* Zigzagged with Alpha for three books in ''Literature/{{Survivors}}'' despite him being ''part'' wolf. He rules over the Wild Pack with a strict yet firm paw on one hand, but he's also a bully and racist towards pets and Fierce Dogs on the other. Finally, this trope gets played straight in ''The Endless Lake'', where Alpha [[spoiler:fakes his own death and joins the Fierce Dogs as their Omega]], thus betraying his pack.* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Wolf-like monsters known as Xethras live in the Yacian Cavern and rank as C class monsters. They hunt in packs and are the reason that merchants need to hire professional mercenaries in addition to their own guards if they want to pass through. * ''Literature/TheBloodWarTrilogy'' has the primary enemy be the Grol, who are a brutal race of orc-like WolfMan monsters. They are intelligent carnivores but consider humanity to be nothing more than a source of food. Subverted when we meet the Tolen who are NobleWolf types who consider the Grol to be monsters worse than humanity does.* In ''Literature/WarrenTheThirteenth'', the WickedWitch Scalene can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting transform]] into a vicious wolf.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E10InTheForestOfTheNight In The Forest Of The Night]]'', a pair of wolves hunt Maebh. Then they catch up with the gang... and run past them, ignoring them. Turns out they weren't running ''after'' her, but ''away'' from the tiger![[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Folklore]]* Myth/NorseMythology:** Fenris, the giant wolf fated to devour Odin himself.** Fenris' sons, Hati and Skoll, who are destined to devour the moon and sun.** The negative perception of wolves is directly responsible for the modern Swedish name for wolves: varg, meaning "killer" or "strangler". Folklore had it that saying wolves' proper name (''ulv'') would [[SpeakOfTheDevil call them]], or at least cause bad things to happen, which lead to wolves being called what they were seen as (murderous brutes). Problem was, this became so wide-spread and went on for so long that varg ended up as the proper name for a wolf, and the folklore about speaking their name being bad remained.* In Bavaria from the late Middle Ages to the 17th century or so, people would try to invoke this trope by using ''Wolfbann'' spells to cause wolves to attack people they didn't like. Conversely, ''Wolfssegen'' spells were supposed to subvert this trope by warding away wolves.* One of the symbols of Ancient Rome was the wolf. This grew out of legends that Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, were literally RaisedByWolves. However, contrary to modern perceptions, they didn't adopt the wolf because of any inherent "specialness" attributed - they hated the animal just as much as everyone else around them. Rather, the story is symbolic of how vicious the Romans saw themselves to be.* In Inuit mythology, the Amarok/Amaroq is a giant wolf who hunts in solitude, specifically picking off people foolish enough to hunt alone at night. Sometimes an Amarok plays the role of a NobleWolf instead, but is usually treated as a villain.* Wolves feature fairly often in Literature/TheBible and other Christian works, generally as metaphors for evil, destructiveness or the dangers of straying from God, when they aren't agents of the Devil outright.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]* "Music/PeterAndTheWolf" depicts the titular wolf as a the primary antagonist, with him eating one of the other characters and attempting to eat the rest.* Music/EgoLikeness seems to like this trope a lot, as the lyrics of both "Wolves" and "When the Wolves Return" refer to the singer being torn apart by wolves. In both instances, this trope overlaps with NobleWolf. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]* Aside from the [[TheBigBadWolf Wolf]] that Red encounters, ''Theatre/RedTheRedRidingHoodMusical'' features at least one wolf who may or may not be stalking the Gypsies who are telling the story. The song "When The Night Is Clear" is all about how absolutely terrifying the Wolf is to them, and ends with the sounds of wolves howling, from [[NightmareFuel all around the gypsies and audience.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]* The ''Jade Regent'' Campaign from Podcast/{{RPGMP3}} features a character called Skygni, who's a [[UpliftedAnimal magically Awakened]] [[BreathWeapon frost breathing]] [[AnIcePerson Winter Wolf]]. He swore a [[MagicallyBindingContract Blood Oath]] (under duress) to avoid eating people, at least, not the ones travelling with the heroes' caravan.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]* Wolves in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' are green most of the time. The [[http://magiccards.info/mm/en/252.html pack aspect]] tends to get played up on wolf-related cards too, often with some ability to lead [[http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/118.html more wolves]] to join the fray, [[http://magiccards.info/dka/en/141.html boost other wolves]], or become [[http://magiccards.info/soi/en/164.html more effective]] themselves if joined by other wolves.* While ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' depicts wolves themselves are depicted as morally neutral and they are even available as companions for heroic characters, the monstrous Worgs (taken from Tolkien's "Wargs") and Winter Wolves are invariably evil and dangerous.** ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Jezelda, the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Demon]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils lord]] of werewolves.* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'',** Garou of any alignment embody this trope when overcome with rage.** The [[EvilCounterpart Black Spiral Dancers]] are more savage than most Gaian Garou, as are Red Talons (who [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters consider humanity part of Gaia's problem]]). ProudWarriorRaceGuys such as the Get of Fenris and Wendigo tribes often skirt this as well, sometimes ''quite'' closely.* ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'' has the Predator Kings, a Pure tribe of savage warriors and hunters, essentially the Red Talons come again. They spurn technology, respect nothing but strength, and long for the return of the savage wild of Pangea, where they ruled the wilderness as, well, predator-kings.* ''{{Traveller}}'' The Vargr are wolves and other canines genetically engineered by the {{Precursors}} . They are great merchants and pirates, but they are incapable of organizing and so aren't as effective in a straight fight as [[HumansAreWarriors humans]].* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':** The Chaos Hounds who fight alongside the armies of [[HornyVikings Norsca]] are massive, rapacious, bloodthirsty, occasionally mutated versions of this trope.** Regular wolves are ridden by goblins, sometimes pulling their chariots. The wolves themselves are very aggressive and barely tame, and will happily devour their riders should they fall from the saddle.** Dire (zombie) wolves are favorite vampire pets.* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the [[SingleBiomePlanet frozen planet]] of Fenris, the homeworld of the Space Wolves (a space marine chapter itself heavily based on this trope) is home to Fenrisian wolves, the biggest, fiercest wolves in the galaxy, often used by the Space Wolves as [[HorseOfADifferentColor mounts]] or [[BeastOfBattle Beasts of Battle]]. Besides the regular horse-sized variety, there are:** Cyberwolves: Regular Fenrisian wolves heavily augmented with technology.** Blackmane Wolves: A bigger, nastier variety of the regular Fenrisian wolves that live in desolate wildernesses and only enter settled lands in the dead of winter to hunt, and are only tamed by the fiercest Space Wolves.** Thunderwolves: The biggest, fiercest, and nastiest wolves on Fenris, found only in the [[GrimUpNorth northernmost reaches of the planet]] and blurring the line between this trope and {{Hellhound}}. They stand eight feet tall, are built like rhinoceri, have fur like steel wire and several rows of regenerating teeth, can chew through steel, and hunt trolls, mastodons and giant bears as their primary food source. Unusually for wolves, they’re solitary animals and attack each other on sight. They have only been tamed by a near-mythical, elite group of Space Wolves whose existence the main chapter continues to deny.* ''TabletopGame/DeadReign'' has large wolf packs that have reclaimed much of humanity's lost cities and towns in the wake of the ZombieApocalypse. They are hostile to survivors, but attack zombies as well, which makes them something of a mixed blessing.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* Madfang Ragewolf from ''VideoGame/{{Patapon}} 3'' is one of the main antagonists of the game. He is linked to an archfiend and represents the [[SevenDeadlySins Deadly Sin]] of Rage.* ''VideoGame/SpiralKnights'' has Wolvers. They are quick, depending on the breed can inflict status effects, and if they're accompanied by an Alpha, their attack increases. Players will often be killed by a pack of Wolvers at least once in their in-game life.* ''The Note'' had wolves as early encounters.* ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'': wolves are early enemies.* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', wolves are tough, highly aggressive, persistent, have a knack for showing up precisely when you don't need them to, love to kill your horses, and ''attack in waves''. You gun down four or five of them, look around, and the coast seems clear, only for another batch to arrive just as you put your gun away.%%* ''VideoGame/{{Gun}}''* ''VideoGame/FridayThe13th'': Wolves act as enemies in the forested areas.* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' you'll occasionally run into packs of wolves as enemies. There's even one specific encounter on the overworld map that can be especially vicious on higher difficulties, a rare form of That One RandomEncounter.* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' carries on in ''Origins''' footsteps with huge wolves roaming around the Redcliffe Hinterlands and Emprise du Lion areas as enemies.* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', it's not uncommon for a player to find themselves attacked by two or three wolves at once. They're easy to kill, but they can become ParanoiaFuel if you can hear the howls but are unable to see them or know the direction the howls come from. The [[GoddamnBats worst part of the wolves]] is that they may infect you with Rockjoint plague which severely reduces your fighting ability.* ''VideoGame/{{Cataclysm}}'': Wolf packs are one of the worse non-zombie threats {{roguelike}}. They're made all the worse by the fact that their letter color can make them ''very'' hard to spot before they're on top of you.* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', wolves normally mind their own business and can even be tamed and used as guard animals, but if you attack a wolf, it and its whole pack go berserk and try to kill you.* ''VideoGame/MediEvil'': Latter portion of the cemetery stages feature wolves. In order to leave the cemetery, you have to fight two stone wolves which guard it.* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'', and ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', wolves are the archetypical wild predator of the wilderness. If Age of Empires II is played without the expansion, wolves are the only predator in a game that ranges geographically from Europe to the Middle East to Asia. Age of Mythology is also the only game of the series where wolves can be hunted for food, otherwise they are just a menace deadly to villagers.** ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'' also has a monstrous wolf named Ornlu in the first mission of the Genghis Khan campaign, who has been devouring sheep and people and which the player must defeat. Ornlu is a unique HeroUnit with stats far beyond those of regular wolves, and can be added to custom maps. He reappears as the King Wolf of Norway in the Vindlandsaga.* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'',** Wolves will attack Connor whenever they can get to him.** Connor's AnimalMotif - besides the eagle that all Assassins identify with - is that of a wolf, to indicate his predatory hunting style. The name "[[MeaningfulName Connor]]" even means "lover of wolves".* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' V, wolves are one available type of neutral monster. Their individual stats are average, [[FragileSpeedster comparing poorly with the human soldiers one level below except for their VERY high initiative]], but their two special abilities are this trope done in a very dangerous form. Not only can each stack summon an equally large stack once per battle, but when one wolf stack attacks the enemy, ALL wolf stacks able to attack that enemy will do so as a free action. This is as painful as it sounds.** Back in ''I'' and ''II'', wolves were one of the Barbarians' recruitable creatures (stronger than both goblins and orcs). In both of those games, Barbarians were defined as an Evil town...* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'': Wolves, and other creatures in the wolf family, can be dangerous depending on your level, because unlike with most other enemies, it is difficult to lure them to you one at a time, so you'll usually have to deal with entire packs.* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' often features packs of wolves attacking you. Even worse, one level has you enter their den to get supplies.** The early stages of ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' also had packs of wolves trying to kill you.* The final boss of ''SuikodenII'', the beast rune, which is shown to be the embodiment of feral and murderous evil, is presented in the form of a massive, two-headed wolf.* ''VideoGame/MegaMan''** Treble is an EvilCounterpart CombiningMecha [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robot wolf]].** His {{expy}} Velguarder, Sigma's pet, from ''VideoGame/MegaManX''.* The wolves in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' will attack you (but not Meryl, they seem to like women) on sight, unless you have Sniper Wolf's handkerchief or use a trick that involves Meryl.* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':** Many Wolf-type enemies have an ability that causes them to howl and alert other nearby wolves of the player's presence, effectively swamping you if you're not very careful.** There's [[AlwaysChaoticEvil the Worgen]], such as the Sons of Arugal, original members of the Druids of the Pack, and the Gilnean Worgen (which are playable). Heck, one such Gilnean Worgen picks up a STAGECOACH and starts BEATING PLAYERS WITH IT.** Goldrinn... goddamn, Goldrinn. Goldrinn revered as a minor god for good reason. Even the Orcs respect the Wolf-God (though they call him Lo'Gosh). The guy is best known for possessing King Varian Wrynn, being utterly wrathful, being the source of the Worgen curse, and [[OneManArmy tearing out the throats of legions of]] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Burning Legion]] demons.** The ''Warlords of Draenor'' expansion introduced the Garn, huge black wolves capable of "tearing a man apart in seconds" and they always hunt in packs. Even on Draenor, a planet where EverythingTryingToKillYou very much applies, these things are considered some of the most dangerous predators around.* Arcturus Mengsk in ''Franchise/{{Starcraft}}'' [[VillainWithGoodPublicity wants people]] to see the wolves on his family crest as [[NobleWolf Noble Wolves]]. [[ManipulativeBastard This is a complete lie]], and "cruel, nasty, and sadistic" isn't even a start on his true nature. (Although both his father and son, under the same crest, were much nicer people. Maybe he's a fluke?)* As shown in the above quote, ''Videogame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' has Dire Wolves which riddle the frozen kingdom of the north that is Canada. They're like wolves, [[RunningGag but dire]].* A wolf pack is one of the possible random encounters in ''VideoGame/{{Transarctica}}'' you need to repel while travelling through the frozen Eurasia.* In ''VideoGame/{{Darklands}}'', a wolf pack is a possible random encounter in the countryside. They can be particularly dangerous for an unexperienced party, as they attack in groups and are very fast.* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}''** The games set up this trope by making the wolf/hyena mix Pokemon Poochyena and Mightyena Dark-types (which is called the "Evil"-type in Japan) with very nasty bites and the Attack-boosting move Howl, but subverts this trope by revealing in the Pokedex that they're actually very loyal to their trainer.** Midnight form Lycanroc, a nocturnal, red-furred bipedal wolf, is a very aggressive BloodKnight who revels in battling and fighting, and is an extremely dirty fighter to boot, deliberately taunting and luring in opponents before finishing them off with a savage blow. In this, it contrasted with its species' other variant, the NobleWolf Midday form.* One of the creatures available to you in ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite 2'' is a wolf that can be either a NobleWolf, a Savage Wolf, or something in between, depending on what you train it to do and how you [[KarmaMeter play the game in general.]] Its appearance is adjusted accordingly, with the evil version having larger fangs and claws, the good version being much lighter in color and smiling more often, and the neutral being intermediate between the two.* In ''VideoGame/TheLongDark'', wolves are the main threat to your character's survival. The game offers a disclaimer that the wolves presented in game are abnormally aggressive due to the strange geomagnetic event that knocked out all electronics and caused the survivor's plane to crash in the Canadian wilderness, and ''in no way'' do the development team condone the unprovoked killing of wild animals in real life. Wolves wander around alone - lending credence to the idea that the geomagnetic event has affected their behaviour - and will chase and attack the survivor if they get too close, although the survivor is safe in indoor areas [[spoiler:with the exception of the Carter Dam in Mystery Lake, which has a particularly implacable wolf lurking inside]]. Wolves can be dealt with safely at range with the hunting rifle or the bow, or if the survivor has a hatchet or knife, an attacking wolf can be killed quickly in melee before they can inflict any major injuries, and they can also be temporarily deterred by flares, torches or campfires. {{Averted|Trope}} in Pilgrim, the game's Easy mode, where wolves are ([[TruthInTelevision more realistically]]) non-aggressive and will run away if the survivor gets too close.* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' has Zinogre, a [[CanisMajor massive]] creature that looks like a combination of a wolf and a dragon. It is a [[ShockAndAwe literal]] LightningBruiser capable of dishing out some serious damage, especially if allowed to [[SuperMode fully charge itself with lightning]]. At times, it will even [[TheSlowWalk walk ominously]] toward its intended target while doing ''absolutely nothing'' for a few seconds before suddenly lashing out with powerful attacks. Its subspecies, Stygian Zinogre, crosses into {{Hellhound}} territory, swapping out Thunder for the [[InfinityPlusOneElement Dragon]] element and accompanying its own slow walk with streaks of red lightning.* [[HangingJudge Romulus]] and [[HidingBehindReligion Remus]] in ''VideoGame/AviaryAttorney'', in spades. [[spoiler: Together they're actually the infamous Viridian Killer.]]* ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'': Sour mallowolves, who will scare off visitors. They become the NobleWolf if you tame them.* In the ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' expansion ''Far Harbour'', mutated wolves are one of the types of creatures inhabiting the Island. Not as visibly mutated as other creatures in the franchise, they are individually weak but attack in packs, with one or two going for a frontal charge and the rest of the pack attempting to flank the player. Like with most other enemies, more heavily mutated "elite" variations exist (such as rabid ones, or ones so heavily irradiated they glow), with stronger variants usually leading packs of weaker ones.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', as revealed in the Unlimited Blade Works route, protecting Illya from a pack of savage wolves was Berserker's first task. Though Illya is helpless before them, when Berserker intervenes it becomes a CurbstompBattle lasting only a few seconds.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]* The Wolf Apocalypse in ''Webcomic/{{Gunshow}}'', which was caused by God forgetting Jesus's birthday and trying to make it up to him.* In ''Webcomic/NoRestForTheWicked'', the woods are known to house wolves, which is why Perrault refuses to believe that November came through the woods alone. However, the actual wolves appear only as skins in Red's cottage.* ''SupernormalStep'': ** The main enemy of Chapter Three is an EldritchAbomination named Fenris, whose form is a Wolf with GlowingEyesOfDoom and {{poison| is corrosive}}ous {{breath| weapon}}.** Reynardine falls under this indirectly, even though he's actually a fox. Since possessing Annie's wolf doll, he seems to be undergoing a slow HeelFaceTurn - in particular, he's noticeably less of a "jerkface" when he takes the form of a full-sized wolf, rather than his usual pint-sized plushy form.* Vorg from ''WebComic/CwensQuest'' is a WolfMan with the personality of a corporate shark [[http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/index.php?p=494901 plus ax crazy]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Literature/{{Tasakeru}}'', where wolves are one of the eight sentient species. The other species ''think'' they're scary, primitive, carnivorous savages, but they're just following very old traditions.* The [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/insanity-wolf Insanity Wolf]] meme.* ''{{Neopets}}'': While the pirate Captain Scarblade is a savage pirate, not all Lupes, a wolf-like species, are evil or vicious. However, the species was known for eating another Neopet species (Chias) in the past. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': The band's therapist tries to attack them but falls out a window. He survives the multi-story fall, but then gets his arms ripped off by wolves who live in the compound (though he survives that and gets a new pair of mechanical arms).* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has Timberwolves, canid monsters that are [[{{Planimal}} literally made of timber]]. They're large and intimidating, but [[GlassCannon surprisingly frail]], [[LiterallyShatteredLives dropping apart after a single good blow]]. However, they can [[PullingThemselvesTogether re-form after being dismantled by a heavy blow]], and [[FusionDance combine into a single enormous wolf]].* Disney's own [[Disney/ThreeLittlePigs Big Bad Wolf]].* The wolf that threatens the flock in [[Disney/LambertTheSheepishLion Lambert the Sheepish Lion]] frightens the lion protagonist as badly as his sheep buddies. That is until Lambert's adoptive mother becomes the target. [[BerserkButton Big mistake]] on the part of the wolf.* In the episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' called "Cape Feare", Grandpa Simpson is in front of the Simpson house and says "I'm cold and there are wolves after me" (cue scary howl... in the middle of the day). Also, in one episode, Groundskeeper Willy goes mano-a-wolf-o with an escaped Alaskan timber wolf, "whose jaws can bite through a parking meter." He beats it.** One Christmas episode has Hans Moleman get trapped by an avalanche, and mistakes a roving pack of wolves for rescue dogs.* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Hereafter", a depowered Superman faces off against a pack of wolves. [[spoiler: He wins]].* ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'': Out of all the things the babies have encountered, a wolf is the thing that comes closet to doing them in. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]* In the CollectibleCardGame ''BellaSara'' universe, wolves are the cruel, vicious, evil [[HorseOfADifferentColor mounts]] of the equally evil "Wolf Riders." Both work together to oppose the good, magical horse riders.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* It's been widely reported that in WWI two armies of German and Russian soldiers signed a temporary ceasefire in order to fight off hundreds of wolves that tried to eat them. It's unknown if this is true but there were some incredibly violent wolf attacks during the Great War caused by all the environmental destruction happening at the time. Or maybe the [[{{Squick}} rapid increase of human meat available.]]* While very few wolf attacks have been verified in the US and Canada, wolves in Europe and Asia are far more aggressive, particularly in Europe after the 14th century when the buildup of dead bodies caused by the Black Death allowed them an easy source of food, giving many a taste for human flesh and a habit of frequenting villages, city outskirts and major roads in the process. Special structures were reportedly built along highways for travelers to take refuge from roving packs in.* Although healthy wolves typically avoid humans, wolves infected with rabies are vicious and destructive to a degree far greater than their domesticated counterparts. There are records of solitary rabid wolves entering camps and military outposts and attacking over a dozen people in a single rampage (or -- if you believe one journal from 1890 -- "sixty or seventy persons in one day"). A bite from a rabid wolf would infect victims with a high quantity of the virus, dooming them to one of the most horrific deaths imaginable. Some historians even argue that the viciousness of rabid wolves may have played a large role in the reputation that wolves had in previous centuries.** Even perfectly healthy wolves in Europe and Asia during history times would regard humans as food. This was due to many unarmed humans in being rurals areas and there being few hunters reinforcing the fear of humans into the carnivores. To packs of hungry wolves who'd had a lot of their prey driven off by settlement, livestock and the unarmed humans tending to them were easy targets. * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_Gévaudan Beast of Gévaudan]], an enormous man-eating wolf (more likely several at once) that terrorized southern France in the late 1700s. The beast achieved a near-demonic fame among the locals and was often considered a werewolf, in no small part due to the fact that there being more than one wolf made it seem like the beast couldn't be killed permanently.[[/folder]]----